This one is fairly much geared to Oklahoma City, but the principles apply
more or less to other places.

I walked to work for ten years; it was really great. It kept me slim and I
felt good. I walked an average of about 1.5 hours day/5 days a week. It
did not take that long to get to and from work, but I also walked at lunch
time (we had an hour lunch break). I also saved $200/year (what my
employer charged for as a parking fee); plus wear and tear on my car.

It cost me money, though, in that I needed to live within walking distance
of my work (a university); and apartments that near the university rented
for a premium as they were very desirable for students. Still, I felt it
was important and it gave me a feeling of security: if my car broke down
or died altogether, I could still get to work. It also meant that I was
the one who got there through snow and ice.... which was not easy,
especially the ice part. Walking on icy sidewalks is difficult.

Pat

30 Days Towards Sustainability

Day 7: Take the bus, ride a bicycle, or walk.

Today we must ask ourselves: What am I going to do
about transportation?

First step. Visit the website of your local mass
transit agency, for Oklahoma City folks it is
http://gometro.org/ . For Tulsa it is
http://www.tulsatransit.org/ .

Next, Find your house location on the map, and
then find the places that you go most often in a
car, such as work, shopping, entertainment,
school, etc. Can you get there from home by bus?
If so, then why not take the bus to work or to
shop just one day a week? Maybe two? I find that
taking the bus is a refreshing change from
driving. I am always behind on my reading, and the
bus is a great time to catch up on my stack of
magazines and newspapers. It's a nice brisk walk
to the closest bus stop, and my doctor (and my
heart) likes that a lot. My round trip commute
costs me 2 gallons of gas, so at $2.50 round trip
bus fare, I am saving money.

How about walking or bicycling to one errand a
week in your neighborhood? Just one, although you
might like it so much you might try doing two or
three each week. I am fortunate that I live in a
neighborhood where I can walk to shops,
restaurants, and entertainment. Walking is also a
refreshing change from driving. You get a totally
different perspective on your "space" as you walk
through your neighborhood. On my days off, I like
to wander down NW 23rd towards Classen, maybe get
one of those great $2 Vietnamese sandwiches at the
"Milk Bottle Building", and then sit in the little
park there and eat it and watch the people and
cars go by.

Can carpooling work for you?

I found these online resources seeking to match up
folks who want to carpool:

http://www.erideshare.com/carpool.php?city=Oklahoma%20City

http://www.carpoolworld.com/ (Scroll down and
click on the link to Oklahoma)

What about bicycles? Oklahoma has many bicycle
clubs, and they have online discussion groups
where you can learn more about bicycle safety,
bicycle commuting, and find safe routes that take
you where you want to go. OKC and Tulsa buses are
now fitted with bicycle racks, which is a great
help for bicycle commuters and shoppers. The
Oklahoma Bicycle Coalition seems to be doing some
website work, and their old URLs aren't working
right now, but they have a page at
http://okbike.org/ . If you feel a bicycle isn't
for you, how about an adult trike? A web search
for "adult trike" turned up an amazing variety of
3 and 4 wheeled pedal vehicles.

It may be that you just can't get to where you
need to go from your home by bus. If so, there is
a further assignment today, which actually applies
to all of us concerned about local sustainability
and economic viability. Contact the local transit
agency, your mayor, and your city council person
and tell them about the lack of bus service in
your area (or in general) and ask them when the
system is going to be expanded to serve your
neighborhood (where you live and/or where you
work). Tell them you support a dedicated source of
tax revenue to support mass transit. We may also
need to support a bond issue.

Oklahoma City needs a commuter rail system, and
the most cost effective way to get that is to use
the existing rail system in the metro area that
centers on Union Station. However, the Crosstown
Freeway relocation project continues to creep in
that direction, and the rail interchange at Union
Station is directly in its path ("something wicked
this way comes"). Destroying that interchange is a
historic and costly mistake for Oklahoma City, so
don't forget to mention that to the mayor and your
city councilperson too. The governor needs to hear
about that issue, as the Crosstown Freeway project
is an Oklahoma Department of Transportation
boondoggle (it's costing several TENS of millions
of dollars per mile).

Letters, emails, and phone calls are important,
but it is equally necessary to increase bus
ridership by actually getting on buses, paying
fares, and riding them to destinations.

Everyone has to decide what they are going to do
about transportation. This question is not going
to go away. We are driving our nation right onto
the ash heap of history as we put our solitary
selves into inefficient motor vehicles and drive
them anywhere we want to go. Our addiction to
gasoline is the primary reason that with only 6%
of the world's population, we use 25% of the world's
oil production.

More fuel efficient vehicles would be good, but
new vehicles embody resources and energy in their
manufacture. I tend to think that the best
sustainability choice is to do the best you can to
reduce the amount you drive by either taking
public transportation, walking, or riding a
bicycle. The next best choice would be to reduce
the amount of gasoline you use for your present
driving schedule by replacing a large, inefficient
vehicle with a smaller, more fuel efficient USED
vehicle. The only new vehicle purchase that makes
sense from the viewpoint of sustainability is a
hybrid (and there are some that would debate that
choice).

The issue of transportation also has to do with
geography. Because of exceptionally poor land use
planning, Oklahoma City is spread out all over the
place. If you are planning to move, think about
buying or renting in an area with good access to
public transportation, and where you could
actually ride a bicycle or walk for local errands.
When gasoline gets above $5/gallon, you will be
glad you made the choice to move to an area with
better public transit access and with pedestrian
amenities. When it gets to $10/gallon, which is
probably going to be sooner than most of us think,
for most of us living in a neighborhood with mass
transit access will be an economic necessity.

The longer we delay honestly looking at these
questions, the harder it will be to adapt to the
realities of the future.

For a real challenge, visit
http://www.carfree.com/ and
http://www.worldcarfree.net/ .

Bob Waldrop, OKC

www.bettertimesinfo.org

www.oklahomafood.coop